Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program Updated

At a Glance

There have been significant updates to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) which include:

• An increase in the nomination allocation for 2018;
• Opening of numerous OINP streams to accept applications;
• Issuance of Notifications of Interest (NOI) for the Express Entry Human Capital Stream; and
• Reduced application period for the Employer-Job Offer stream.

Additionally, a new law brings into effect monitoring and compliance requirements for employers and foreign nationals who apply to the OINP program.

There have been significant updates to the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), which allow the province to nominate qualified individuals to apply for permanent residence through Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

A closer look

• Increase in nomination allocation. The OINP has received approval to nominate 6,600 foreign nationals for permanent residence  in 2018. Successful nominees must apply to the federal government and have an intention to reside in the province of Ontario.

  • Impact. An increase in the number of nominations supports increased immigration to the province of Ontario.

• OINP streams accepting applications. The following OINP streams are open to accept applications to allow foreign nationals for nomination:  

  • Ontario’s Express Entry Human Capital Priorities Stream

  • Ontario’s Express Entry French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream

  • Ontario’s Express Entry Skilled Trades Stream

  • Employer Job Offer: Foreign Worker stream

  • Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream

  • Employer Job Offer: In-Demand Skills Stream

  • Corporate Stream

  • Entrepreneur Stream

• Express Entry Notifications of interest. Notifications of Interest will continue to be issued to foreign nationals registered in the Express Entry pool. Specifically, the OINP searches the federal Express Entry pool and chooses applicants that have a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of at least 400 and who qualify for one of the federal immigration categories (e.g. the Canadian Experience Class or the Federal Skilled Worker Class).

  • Impact. Foreign nationals who receive a nomination through one of the three Express Entry Streams listed above will have a greater chance of receiving an invitation to apply for permanent residence because they receive 600 additional points added to their total CRS score.

• Employer-Job Offer stream.

  • Online processing. Applications for the Employer-Job Offer stream are now processed online.

    • Impact. Employers of foreign nationals seeking a nomination under this stream will need to register an online profile and be ready to file their application online to be considered for nomination in the 2018 allocation.

  • Shorter deadline. Additionally, the deadline for employers to register a complete application has been reduced from 21 days to 14 days from the date of registering in the OINP e-Filing Portal.

    • Impact. Due to the demand for nominations, the OINP can close the program at its discretion in order to manage participant volume. Therefore, applicants should be ready to file their application early in the year and within 14 days of registering their online profile to increase their chances of receiving a nomination.

• Proclamation of the Ontario Immigration Act. The Ontario Immigration Act creates a regulatory framework for the OINP, including monitoring and compliance requirements for employers and foreign nationals. The intention of the Act is to strengthen the transparency, accountability and consistency of the application process and decisions at the OINP.

  • Impact. Employers and foreign nationals must understand their obligations under the Ontario Immigration Act and remain current in their compliance practices.  

     

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].